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The Trump administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow it to move forward with nearly $800 million in research funding cuts, part of a broader effort to dismantle federal diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives.
In a filing led by the Justice Department, the administration argued that a federal judge in Massachusetts overstepped by blocking the National Institutes of Health from implementing $783 million in cuts as part of President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.
The appeal follows a ruling by U.S. District Judge William Young, a Reagan appointee, who criticized the administration’s decision as discriminatory.
“I’ve never seen government racial discrimination like this,” Young said during a recent hearing, referring to the funding rollbacks. He concluded that the cancellations violated long-standing federal guidelines and targeted both racial minorities and LGBTQ individuals. An appeals court upheld his decision, keeping the funding freeze in place.
The issue involves 16 state attorneys general, advocacy groups and several scientists who are challenging the elimination of federal grants tied to DEI-related research and programming. While the initial ruling covers only a portion of the affected projects, the administration’s appeal targets nearly two dozen cases.
Solicitor General D. John Sauer pointed to a previous 5-4 Supreme Court decision in April that allowed cuts to teacher training grants to proceed. That decision, he argued, demonstrates that such cases should be handled by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, not federal district courts.
“Those decisions reflect quintessential policy judgments on hotly contested issues that should not be subject to judicial second-guessing,” Sauer wrote. “It is hardly irrational for agencies to recognize—as members of this Court have done—that paeans to ‘diversity’ often conceal invidious racial discrimination.”
The Supreme Court has increasingly supported a broad interpretation of presidential power in its recent rulings. In the first six months of President Trump’s second term, his administration has submitted dozens of emergency appeals to the high court. The justices have granted nearly all of those requests, signaling a strong alignment with the White House on key executive actions.